tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post6417351955157406051..comments2018-12-19T05:17:33.288+00:00Comments on ShukerNature: 'A' IS FOR AJOLOTE - OF TATZELWORMS AND DEATH WORMSOkapi Onzanoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post-26084416720825957602018-01-11T22:11:27.183+00:002018-01-11T22:11:27.183+00:00Dear David Tulissio, Thank you so much for your ab...Dear David Tulissio, Thank you so much for your above message, which I was delighted to receive! I&#39;m very sorry to learn of your father&#39;s passing, but yes indeed, his wonderful little Bancroft Tiddlers book on Freaks of Nature certainly made a lasting, positive impression upon me, most especially his coverage of the ajolote, and I am so pleased to own a copy of his book once again - a lovely memory from childhood restored in full. All the very best, KarlDr Karl Shukerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222845702628862829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post-27297039278213656792018-01-11T14:48:41.094+00:002018-01-11T14:48:41.094+00:00Dear Dr Shuker
I was very pleased to find your pag...Dear Dr Shuker<br />I was very pleased to find your page and the mention of the little book by Nicky Tulissio. I too have a couple of copies of it on the desk by me as I write this and was also familiar with it as a child since Nicandro Tulissio was my father. Sadly he died in 2014 but I am sure he would have been surprised and delighted that his illustrations should have helped to inspire your fascinating career. Funnily enough the theme of the book must have appealed to him too as he and my mother went on to own several &#39;freaks of nature&#39; themselves as longstanding enthusiasts of numerous Devon Rex and Sphinx cats!<br />All the best<br />David TulissioDavid Tulissiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00940984192247091950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post-52742738531292115702015-03-06T18:42:11.678+00:002015-03-06T18:42:11.678+00:00True, but the ajolote is a totally different anima...True, but the ajolote is a totally different animal from the axolotl. The ajolote is an amphisbaenian, which is a reptile; the axolotl is a salamander, which is an amphibian.Dr Karl Shukerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06222845702628862829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post-40001120171524007042015-03-06T17:36:57.247+00:002015-03-06T17:36:57.247+00:00Dear doctor. The Axolotl, at least the real one, i...Dear doctor. The Axolotl, at least the real one, is endemic of the Xochimilco lagoon in Mexico City and does not look like this Cecilian creature. They have four legs and external, and very cool looking gills. Just wanted to point that out. And by the way, is is associated with the god Xolotl. sort o a trickster in the Mexica pantheon.José Carlos (Onix)https://www.blogger.com/profile/08556692454182758726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post-32905085342930185972012-11-24T16:53:35.545+00:002012-11-24T16:53:35.545+00:00Upon hearing of the Tatzelwürm I immediately thoug...Upon hearing of the Tatzelwürm I immediately thought of the European cave salamander or olm, Proteus anguinus (possibly the subspecies P. anguinus parkelj). This species has hind limbs, although they are quite reduced and it is not hard to imagine how they could be further reduced in undocumented western populations of the lineage. Also, Proteus are smaller than reported Tatzelwürms; but size estimates not based on measurements of actual specimens are notoriously unreliable.<br />Has Proteus been discussed in the cryptozoological literature as a possible Tatzelwürm?Gunnarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09160004621405227245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post-91412831257628840192012-10-26T12:26:47.503+01:002012-10-26T12:26:47.503+01:00This is very interesting.....but as we all know th...This is very interesting.....but as we all know there is so much out there science doesn&#39;t even know about. So really this &quot;little guy&quot; doesn&#39;t surprise me much. Actually, its kinda cute, its little face looks to me like its smiling! Awwwwww. :) <br /><br />Freak of Nature....I sort of hate that term.Ashleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3739684561063978507.post-77110378139039103292012-10-25T00:07:40.577+01:002012-10-25T00:07:40.577+01:00As you know I live in Mexico, where this reptile i...As you know I live in Mexico, where this reptile is called &quot;culebra con manitas&quot; (literally, a &quot;(colubrid) snake with little hands&quot;). <br />However, I live in a state to the south, far away from the creature&#39;s range, but I remember that a few years ago, a biologist (specialist in medically significant venomous animals working for the government) mentioned to me that he had once found a very strange creature in his garden; he described it as very similar to Bipes biporus, but with a short, stunted body, white/pink in color and with large, paddle-like, digging adapted mole-like forelegs. He was completely baffled by the creature and even said the idea of it being &quot;some kind of mutation&quot; did cross his mind. Unfortunately he didn´t show me any photos of it and I don´t know if he collected it or preserved it in any way. I didn´t get the chance to speak to him again. <br /><br />I&#39;ve often wondered if what he found was some still unknown southern relative of Bipes biporus... Croconutnoreply@blogger.com